An electronic component that varies in capacitance, responsive to a bias voltage, is used in many modern-day electronic designs and is likely to be of continuing utility for the foreseeable future. Such devices are often referred to as “varactors”. High speed varactors (i.e.—varactors whose capacitance can change very quickly with high frequency changes in voltage) find use as low-loss frequency multipliers as well as tuning elements in high-frequency circuits.
The state-of-the-art in the design of a varactor typically employs semiconductor materials to produce a p-n junction that is biased so as to vary the capacitance of the junction. While the use of a semiconductor-based design has been effective for its intended purpose, the present application discloses a new design which is intended to provide significant advantages over the use of a typical prior art p-n junction design, for example, with respect to device speed, as well as providing still further advantages.